Swimming pool cover



A Dcflo', 1957 E, J, JACOBS ErAL 2,815,809

' SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed May 24, 1955 I l, gg. 3'.-

'SWG POOL CV'R Emile .1. Jacobs and Albert J. Jacobs, Sepulveda, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Albert J. Jacobs, Sepulveda, Calif.

Application May 24, 1955, ySerial No. 510,751

8 Claims. (Ci. 16o- 368) This invention relates to a swimming pool cover, and deals more particularly with a cover that may be rolled up 'and removed, leaving the pool clear of any elements that comprise the cover.

An object of this invention is to provide improved means for holding a flexible pool-covering sheet in place and whereby said sheet may be rolled up from one end of the pool so as to obviate debris ycollected upon the cover falling into the pool water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swim'- ming pool cover that is characterized by safety in that the same, while quite light in weight, is yet strong `enough to support substantial Weight as that o'f -a child or 'even an adult.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and "easily disconnected therefrom, economical vof manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of 4construction and novel combinations and arrangements `of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the fdrawing merely shows and the following description merely describes "one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters `designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a top plan view, considerably foreshortened, of a swimming pool provided with a cover according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view as taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged cross-sectional View as taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged sectional view as taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

`The swimming pool that is illustrated is generally typical of rectangular pools, being provided with 'a 'cement or similar frame or curb 5 extending laterally from the walls 6 of the pool within which the pool water 7 is stored. The pool shown is without an overow gutter, which may be part of the pool, the present invention being adapted to pools with or without such gutters. Also, the shape of the pool is not material to the invention and the same may be oval or irregularly shaped instead of rectangular.

The pool cover `according to the present invention comprises, generally, a sheet 8 large enough to span the area of the pool, means 9 applied along three sides of the pool for holding said sheet 8 in pool-covering position, and means 10 along the fourth side for both holding the sheet in said position and constituting means on which said sheet is adapted to be rolled up.

Pihe sheet 8 is preferably water impervious and may be made of one of the rubber or plastic materials of which `the pool area.

2 the vinyls are examples. However, in vthe interest of :improved strength and "hi'gh resistance to tearing, :the sheet is preferably woven of threads and impregnated or coated with such rubber or plastic material. The market affords 'extremely light and thin, yet Aquite strong fabric materials suitable for the present purposes.

Said sheet, in the present 'ins-tance, is generally rectangular and is provided with 4a welted or thickened end l'edge v11 and side edges 12, said three edges being shown vas formed with a loop 'into which a ycord or the like -13 is sewn. The size of said sheet is made to be such that the same not only spans the area of the pool within 'curbs 5 but has a generous overlap onto said curbs substantial-ly as shown.v 0n its fourth edge, `said Vsheet is -f'orrned4 to have fa loop 1'4 encircling the means 10 or is provided with any suitable m'ean's for effecting connec- 'rion with said means 10 and facilitating rolling up o the -s'heet on said means.

The means 9 is substantially similar on each of the ithree Asi-des -of the pool lto which applied. For 'any one of Vsaid sides, said lmeans 9 Vcomprises an elongated member adapted 'to 'be disposed along the curb 5, a set of `clips 1'6 engaged vwith longitudinally Vspaced portions of said member 15, and releasable y'means 17 separably connecting :said clips to ther curb 5.

Said means 9 is so disposed with respect to the pool arearhat the member l15 thereof resides on the pool side of the thickened edge welt 11 or 12, as the case may be, zand, when `gripped by rclips 16, forms a retainer that prevents movement of said welt in a direction toward Consequently, the mentioned overlap of cover sheet with the curb `is retained lfor the three sides shown.

The elongated member -1-5 is shown as Va channel although the same may have an angle cross-section since l*thedmportant parts 'are the horizontal gripping flange 18 and 'the vertical retaining flange 19.

Eahclip 16 is shown asa 'channel element having a horizontal web 20 Afrom `which depend inanges 21 Yand 22. Tlleormer is overlapped with ange 19 yof member Ll-5 's'o1as to b'ear on ange 1S of said member and the latter lis arranged to bear against the top face of pool `curb S. Said llatter ang'e 22 is shown as Wider than -flange 2-`1 'to have web 2t) horizontal, as shown.

The means 317 is preferably `oi? the quick-release type and is here shown as a metal socket' member 23 'em- 'bedded in the 'cement of curb 5 and provided with a transverse pin 24, a stud Z'Sfhaving a bayonet slotted end 26 adapted `to be introduced into socket member 23 and yengaged withpi'n V24, said stud being rcarried bythe web 20 of clip 116 and extending through a hole in said web, :and a spring 27 between said web and a head 28 of said stud. The-head 28 is provided with a wrench -so'cketor a slot for Ia tool which is adapted to turn the same. The spring 27 exerts its force in a direction to Withdraw the stud end 26 from socket member 23, the movement of said stud being limited by engagement of a flange or washer 29 on the stud and engaging the under face of clip web 20.

It will be clear that said stud, by use of a suitable tool, may be turned to release stud end 26 from pin 24 and thus enable spring 27 to retract the stud and thus release the clip 16 from clamping engagement with member 15. Consequently, said member 15 and as many clips that press the same into gripping engagement with the marginal portions of the cover 8, may be removed, leaving only the embedded socket members 23. Since the latter are ush, they offer no obstruction on the surface of curb 5.

In practice, members 15 may be made to a convenient handleable length of say eight to twelve feet and two or more clips 16 used for each such length.

The means 10 is shown as a tube or pipe 30 disposed in the loop 14 provided in cover sheet 8 and hook-like portions 31 formed on the ends of members 15 that are disposed along the longer sides of the pool. Said hooklike portions 31 are designed to hook over the ends of tube or pipe 30 substantially as shown and inward of the welded edges 12.

It will be noted, particularly from Figs. 2 and 4, that said welted edges encircle the tube 30 and, thus, space the same from the surface of the curb 5 that surrounds the pool area. Said means holds the fourth side of the cover sheet taut since tube 30 is substantially inflexible.

The elongated members on which hooks 31 are provided may be initially located with respect to the pool by a pin and socket arrangement, suchas shown in Fig. 4. By providing the end of each hook 31 with a depending pin 32 and embedding a socket member 33 in the curb 5 to receive each said pin, assembly of the cover-holding means 9 and 10` is greatly facilitated.

When putting the cover in place, the tube with the rolled up sheet 8 thereon is placed at the shorter end of the pool that has socket members 23 embedded in the curb thereof. The welt 11 is unrolled and member 15 placed thereon. Now, the clips 16 are applied, fixing the end of the sheet in place. The sheet is further unrolled to allow the side welts 12 to be similarly gripped, the assembly of parts progressing toward the opposite end of the pool until, finally, the tube 30 is engaged by hooks 31. Removal of the cover is accomplished by a reverse procedure.

As`-shown in Fig. 3, the cover 8 need not be tautly applied, since the same would be quite dicult, but may have sag therein that is supported by the pool water 7. Therefore, one person may accomplish installation of the cover or removal thereof.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplatedto be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modication without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A cover for a swimming pool having a pool-surrounding generally at curb, said cover comprising a thin pliable water-impervious rectangular sheet spanning across the entire pool area and overlapping onto the curb, three of the edges of said sheet being substantially thickened, removable means to grip the sheet inward of said three edges and to clamp the same against the pool curb, and an inilexible and elongated member connected to the fourth edge of the sheet and constituting means on which said sheet is adapted to be rolled up upon removal of the mentioned removable means.

2. A swimming pool cover according to claim l: said removable means being engaged with the mentioned elongated member and, upon removal, releasing said member to move in sheet winding direction.

3. Means to clamp the edge of a pool-covering sheet against the top of the wall surrounding a pool, said sheet having a thickened edge, an elongated member positioned on the sheet inward of said thickened edge, and removable means to create a clamping pressure on the elongated member and by the latter member on the sheet immediately adjacent the thickened edge.

4. Means according to claim 3: the removable means comprising a clip engaged with both the elongated member and the top of the pool wall, and quick-release means connecting said clip to the top of the pool wall.

5. Means according to claim 3: the removable means comprising a clip engaged with both the elongated member and the top of the pool wall, and quick-release means connecting said clip to the top of the pool wall, a rotational stud carried by the clip and provided with a bayonet-slotted end, and a socket member aixed to the top of the pool wall and receptive of said stud end.

6. Means to cover a swimming pool comprising a sheet having a thickened edge, an elongated and rigid member disposed inwardly of and adjacent to the thickened edge, and removable means to bias said member into clamping engagement with the sheet, said means comprising a stud adapted to enter a socket in the pool wall and a clip mounted on said stud.

7. Means to cover a swimming pool according to claim 6, in which said stud makes a connection with said socket, 'and in which said clip is U-shaped to span the thickened edge of the sheet.

8. Means to cover a swimming pool comprising a rectangular sheet having thickened edges on three sides, an elongated tubular member attached to the fourth side of said sheet, three elongated rigid members adapted to hold the sheet adjacent the three thickened edges, two of said rigid members having hooks adapted to hold said tubular member, and removable means to bias said rigid members into clamping engagement with the sheet, said means comprising a stud adapted to enter into and connect with a socket in the pool wall and a U-shaped clip mounted on said stud.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,705 De Lisle May 6, 1930 1,869,790 Wolf Aug. 2, 1932 2,517,393 Law Aug. 1, 1950 2,580,555 Kroeger Jan. 1, 1952 2,754,899 Karobnik et al Iuly 17, 1956 2,754,900 Karobnik et al. July 17, 1956 

